As companies grow and evolve, the type of company data that must be managed becomes more complex. To manage this data, some companies have turned to customized software, specific to the needs of the company. Further, some companies have begun to develop their own software or applications as some commercial software may not be able to effectively meet the company's specific needs. Often, these companies use development platforms to aid in the development of new software.
The development of new software using these platforms, however, often creates a development burden when attempting to develop updates or improvements. Adding a new feature to the existing software often requires editing the core software, which lengthens development time for only incremental changes. Further, the changes may affect existing functions, leading to new problems during development. Extensive testing may also be required to ensure that the new update is capable of operating error-free. Testing often requires that users surrender software service during the testing period. For a company to pursue such update testing, users or employees of the existing software may be unable to access the software for extended periods of time. Without an effective method of developing new software and deploying new updates, much time is wasted during development and much frustration is generated by users unable to utilize the existing software.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical or similar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.